Starting device for internal-combustion engines.



, G. L. HENRY.I STARTING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL GOMBUSTION ENGINES.

APPLIOATION FILE? 00T.3. 1911.

. G. L. HENRY. Y STARTING DEVICE FOB INTERNAL GOMBSTION ENGINES. LPPLIOATIOI FILED 00T.3, 1911.

1.015,272-` Pnmd Jan.1,1912.

SHEETS-SHEET 2.

url-messes fr. 97M. MM

.entren eiserne revertir ormoni.

GERGE L. HENRY, UF NEW YORK, N.

COMPANY, OE NEW "JURK,

Y., ASSIGNR TO THE HENRY MANUFACTURING N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF f New YORK.

STARTING DEVICE FOR INTERNAL-COMBUSTION ENGINES.-

Specification of Letters Patent.

application filed October 3, 1911` Patented Jan. M, 1912. Serial No. 652,539.

lYork and State of New York, have invented "ertai'n newv and useful 'improvements in ieders oi the engine the electric circuit in 1 Ste'rting Devices for Intern:1l-Combustion Engines, of which the following is a specification.

The present invention relates to devices for starting` internal combustionengines, :indie particularly adapted, for 'use in coin nection with-muiti-cylinder engines used. with automobiles.

More particularly. it relates to` engines into the cylinders .ot which :in explosive. mixture is introduced and ignited, the coinhustion and expansion of the mixture et folding"l the energy by which the engine is started. -f

--lfn orderto render such devices ready for action., it has been heretofore proposed to introduce into the cylinders of the engine an explosive-mixture by the eid 'of compressed air or otherwise through .auxiliary inlets which are arranged in or near the top of the cylinders, end then to lignite the mixture so introduced in the cylinder, the pistoirof which is at or neer itevupper dead center. l't is obvious that in devices of this einen ecter `either @seperate valve must he used for each auxiliary inletot the engine, or :r distributer must, 'he provided. `For this reason, ohvimiely,V these devices are' too com.iiiiceted and too expensive to menu facture end to assemble. llt is ncrv one ofthe ohjects'ot the invention to obviete these defects of the de viceevheretot'ore in use, 'and/to ,provide a simple and inexpensive starterfor internal combustion engines., Aconsisting/ of e single naive for controlling-g the admission ofthe explosive inixturefthrongh the regularinlet ports to ell ot the cylinders of the engine, end of means for short circuiting or renderu ling :noreoperetive the ignition system of the during; e tirnethe mixture is niited to the cyiindcrs. .Y Another object et' the invention is toenmhine the scid velve with thesliortcrcai .ng device in such e manner that hy the act ci opening" the communication between' .tlie supply off fue? under pressnre end the c virespective segments of a distributer rather connected with.

Whicli,the spark plugs are inserted rendered non-operative. f

lilith these and other. objects in` View, which will more fully appear asthe nature of the invention is better undcrstoml, the same consists in the combination` ar 1angement and'construction of parts 'hereinafter fully described, pointed out in the appended Aclaim end illustrated in the accompanying drawings,l it being` understood that many changes iiay be made in the size .and proportion of the several parte and niin'or deteils of construction Without departing from the 'spirit or sacrilicingany of the advantages of the invention. j One 'of 'the many possible emhodiinentsof the vinvention is illustrated in the accofrnpartying drawings, in which:w

Figure .l is :i side elevation, partly in section, of env internal combustion engine inciudingmeaiis em'hodyingnhe invention; Fig.'

'2 is enenlerged longitudinal section of the starting valve; Fig. 3 is a` .front elevation' thereof; llig. It is a section taken n line 45e-ll. of Q g and Fig. 5 is a. diagrammatic view ot en ordinary form of Wiring showing liovv it may he controlled hy thevalve o`f the starting mechanism.

The invention is shown in thedrawings es 'applied to two cycle gas engine, having ourcylinders 10,11, 12 and 13, being; ymounted immediately lforward of the flesh hoard 14C of an auto iobile,`a.s usuel in devices of this kind. A pipe 15 leeds from the ccrbureter, not shown in the drawings, to the;A iiiteke maniiold 16, which connects through their inlet with' the seid pipe 175. Firing or i nit hn takes place from the usual spark plugs l? 17, from which conductors-181cm to' the 1Q, the' common Contact terminal of which is connected by :i conductor to One'iterminal `of Athe secondary Wiring 22 of a spark coil, its other terminait being the automobile, thus completing the circuit.

.The primary wiring of the spark coil is de,

noted oy the numeral 24e, and is connected with the magneto or battery in a, manner AWell known in the crt.' i

For stertingthe engine.) a sourceof en-v ergy is-used which is clreadyprovided on most elitoinobiles end. other motor vehicles;

the engine ports ell'the cvlindersi,

grounded at 23, orVv I' the .metal frame ctl00 t ticularly, it will complete, the circuit by being turned into the dotted position, shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, by turning the knob 41 of the valve plug 38, and in this position the conduit 42 in the valve plug will register with the inlet and outlet ports in the valve `casing. When brought into the position shownin full lines in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the circuit between the contacts 45 and 46 will be interrupted and the communication between lthe inlet and outlet ports of the valve casing closed.

The operation of the device is as follows: Let us assume that the cock 43-is turned so that a communication is open between ythe 80 acetylene tank and the casing of the valve 26. Normally the valve plug 38 is in the position shown in Figs. 2 to 4, inclusive, of theV drawings,` that is the communication between thepcrts 34 and 35 of the valve cas- 85 ing 27- is closed. When the operation of the motor is to be stopped, of course, the throttle of the motor is set to a minimum so that only a supply of combustible mixture will lbe introduced into the cylinders of the en- 90 gine which is sufiicient to actuate the pistons in saidcylinders at a low speed. When now by means of .the knob 41, the valve plug 38 is turned so that its conduit 42 will register with the ports 34 and 35 in the valve casing, g5 the switch 51 will complete the circuit between the contacts 45 and 46, whereby so much of the current 'passes through the new path asl to prevent the spark plugs from re- Y ceiving an appreciable current. 'lhe greater 100 part of the current will pass from the secondary winding of the spark coil through conductor 21, conductor 48, to contact 46, through switch 51, contact 45, and conducy tor 47 to the metallic frame of the automo- 105 bile, and .from there to the secondary winding 22 ofthe spark coil. The effect of this will be that the ignition system' of the engine will be rendered non-operative and the more particularly, either acetylene or another gas which is used for the purpose of providing fuel to the lights of the ve- /hicle. The gas is stored in a tank 25, and. the admission of the same to the cylinders of the engine is controlled by a valve 26.. rlhis valve comprises a, preferably, cylindrical casing 27,- having a conical bore 28 leading therethrough, and being screwed or4 otherwise attached to a cover 29, which is provided Ywith a iian'ge 29. The other end of the valve casing is closed by a cover 30, held upon the casing in any suitable man-v ner, for instance by providing it with screw threads meshing with the threads upon the casing. The valve casing 27 is attached to the dash board 14, for'which purpose the latter is provided with a recess 31, in wliic theflange 29 is seated, the casing 27 projecting through an aperture 32 in the dash board toward the motor of the vehicle. Screws 453, 83 serve to fasten the flange to the dash board. rThe valve casing has an inlet port 34 and an outlet port 35, arranged, 25 preferably, in. diametricallyopposite points of the casing, said inlet port communicating through a pipe 36 with the acetylene tank 25, and said outlet port through a pipe 37 with the pipe 15. The ports of the valve casing are controlled by a conical valve plug 38, which is seated in the conical bore 28 thereof. The inner end .39 of the valve plug rojects through an opening 40 in the cover s, 29 of the valve casing, and has attached 35 thereto outside of' said valve casing a knob 41, to facilitate the operation .of the plug. The plug is provided with a transverse conduit 42, which is adapted to register with the ports in the valve casing, thereby establishing a communication between the acetylene tank and the pipe 15 of the engine. In the pipe 36 is, preferably, inserted a cock 43 for shutting ot`f`the tank altogether, when it is desired'to do so. A cock 44 is shown for controlling the lights of the vehicle.

' To the euterside of the cover 30 are attached in any suitable manner two metallic contacts 45 and 46, electrically insulated from each other and from the`cover. The

contact 45 is connected by a conductor 47 with the ground, or r ther with the metallic frame of the vehicle, while a conductor 48 connects vthe contact 46l with the conductor 21` which leads from one of the terminals of the secondary wiringof the spark coil to the vcontact terminal 20 of the distributer 19. To the valve `38is`fastened or withthe same may be made integral, a cylindrical extension 49, which is arranged in the longitudinal axis of the plug, and projects through an opening 50 in the cover 80. To this cylindrical extension is 'attached a metallicswitch 51, which is insulated from the extension, and is adapted to complete a circuit between the contacts 45 and 46. More parwill not be ignited. This will result 1n a stopping of the engine. As, however, the momentum of the ily-wheel of the engine prevents the same from a suddenstopping, and since simultaneously with the closing of the circuit between theycontacts 45 and 46, a communication is opened through the' valve 26 between the acetylene tank and the manifold 16 of the motor, acetylene under old and the inlet ports of the cylinders to the latter. When the engine comes to a stop, one or the other of the pistons in the cylinders will be in or near its upper dead center, and contain a compressed mixture of acety- `125 lene and air, the air being furnished to the cylinders through the carbureter of the motor. In fact, .the mixture contained inthe y cylinders will be a mixture of hydrocarbon fuel furnished by the 'Carbureter and of acetexplosive mixture drawn into the cylinders 110,

ressure will be supplied through the maniignition has occurred,

nished to the spark plugs, which will cause' a tiring in that cylinder the piston of which is in its upper dead center. After the first and an initial movement thereby given, the charge in the n'eXt cylinder will be fired in its proper order, the engine then continuing to run. in the ordi naryI manner by drawing in combustible In other mixture through the carbureter. words, the starting charge is admitted to the engine at the time the saine is stopped, and this charge, which is of a high explosive quality, is ignited by an additional battery in the usual manner.

lt is of course, obvious that whilev herein a specific valve has been described for controlling the flow of the gas to the inlets of the cylinders of the engine, in combination with a switch for completing a' shunt circuit,

any other suitable means may be provided for the purpose at hand without departing from `the invention, which lies mainly in ing inlets through which the provision of means for establishing a communication between a supply of fuel and the cylinders 6i' the engine through their inlet ports, in combination With a switch of the character described.

l/Vhatl I claim i's:-

TheL combination With an engine consisting of a plurality of Working cylinders hava ,supply yoi" hydro- 'carbon fuel is supplied to' the same, an intake manifold communicating with said inlets, an ignition system |.t`or the engine, a

tank for gasunder pressire, a valve casing,

gas carrying v'connections leading from said valve casing to said tank and to said mani,- old, a yvalve plugin said casing for control'- ling the ttlovv of gas therethrough, electric contacts upon said casing connected with the ignition system, and a switch carried by said plug adapted to complete a` circuit between said contacts during the time that gas flows through said valve casing.

Signed' at New' York, in the county 0f N ew York and State of New York, this 27th day of Sept., A. D.l911.

. GEORGE L. HENRY.

Witnesses: l

SIGMUND HERZOG, S. BIRNBAUM. 

